Daniele Casiraghi: “I’m already half a Bolzano native”

Casiraghi has also had an apartment in Bolzano for more than four years. "I'm already half a Bolzano resident," grinned the Lombard native, who bought his own home in the South Tyrolean capital in 2021. "To be honest, I never thought about leaving in all these years," Casiraghi clarified. Even in 2023, after the first Serie B season under Pierpaolo Bisoli, a move was apparently never an option. "There was never anything concrete about it, no one ever called me. My wish was always to stay at FC Südtirol, because I found a second home here." Only captain Fabian Tait has been with the club longer than Casiraghi, whom sporting director Paolo Bravo lured to South Tyrol six years ago. The FCS coach at the time was Stefano Vecchi, who helped the 18-year-old Casiraghi make his professional debut in Serie C2011 in 2 – at Tritium, Casiraghi's youth club from Trezzo sull'Adda. Casiraghi himself hails from the neighboring town of Pozzo d'Adda, later moving to nearby Vaprio, where he still calls home today. Back to the roots Casiraghi played his first season as a regular with the first team in 2011/12. Tritium had since been promoted to the 3rd division, Vecchi had left the club, and the talented youngster from Pozzo was playing as a defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation. So, it wasn't a problem for Casiraghi when coach Fabrizio Castori immediately moved him from the number XNUMX position to the number XNUMX position last winter. "Basically, it was a return to my roots," Casiraghi explained. "Under Castori, I'm now playing where I started my career. It's great, and I like it." Staying in the league last season was "like winning the championship." "We played a tremendous second half of the season," Casiraghi emphasized. "Under Coach Castori, we've turned things around. He's a leader, he's genuine, he speaks his mind straight, he has a tremendous amount of experience, and he's coached in all leagues; he knows Serie B best of all. We can all be grateful to him. In terms of character and mentality, we've made a leap in quality as a team under Castori." “Those were moments for eternity, I will never forget that day.” Daniele Casiraghi on the promotion in 2022 Casiraghi and FC Südtirol have grown together over the years, celebrating their first-ever promotion to Serie B together, which Casiraghi secured with his brace in the 2-0 win in Trieste on April 24, 2022. "Those were moments for eternity; I'll never forget that day; it was wonderful," he enthused. "We played a fantastic season back then. Padova was the overwhelming favorite, but in the end, we celebrated." Trieste became a place of destiny. "In my first year at FC Südtirol, we were eliminated from the playoffs after the coronavirus interruption against Triestina in Brixen. A year later, we missed a chance to go top of the table away to Triestina with just a few rounds to go. It was probably fate that we celebrated our historic promotion to Serie B in Trieste." Under Bisoli, Casiraghi became a standout substitute. "I mostly came off the bench; that was my role," he said. Casiraghi was Bisoli's secret weapon. In the playoff against Reggina, he shot Pippo Inzaghi's club home and FCS into the semifinals against Bari. "It was a totally crazy season. Our Serie B debut defied all logic," laughed Casiraghi. "So many emotions, it was truly insane." Phenomenon from the point Casiraghi's big breakthrough in Serie B came a year later. He scored 16 goals in the 2023/24 season, eleven of them penalties. "But you have to convert those first," he clarified. From the penalty spot, Casiraghi is a phenomenon. In Serie B, he has yet to miss a single shot, scoring 16 times from 16 attempts. In the promotion season, however, he missed twice, but scored on the rebound each time. Ultimately, all 2 of Casiraghi's penalties for FC Südtirol (32 in Serie B, 16 in Serie C including the two rebounds) found the net. His final penalty in February, in the final whistle of the 16-2 home win against Sampdoria, was the "toughest." "The stakes were incredibly high," Casiraghi recalled. "Of course I'm nervous before a penalty, who isn't? It's no secret. I study the opposing goalkeepers, but ultimately I shoot based on instinct." “It would be nice if I could end my professional career at FC Südtirol.” Danielle Casiraghi Casiraghi's contract expires at the end of this season. "If the sporting director gives me a new contract, I'd be happy to stay for a few more years. It would be nice if I could end my professional career at FC Südtirol," said Casiraghi. "I want to play football as long as my body allows. If I'm no longer up to professional football, I'll go back home to the Lombardy regional league. As long as I enjoy it, I'll play." But Casiraghi doesn't envision a life in football after retirement. "After that, I want to do something else. I don't know what yet."

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
1. Palermo	3	7:3	9
2. Mantova	3	6:3	7
3. FC South Tyrol	3	4:1	7
4. Ascoli	3	4:2	7
5. Avellino	3	5:2	6
5. Modena	3	5:2	6
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Daniele Casiraghi: “I’m already half a Bolzano native”

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